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Published: December 6th 2006
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It was easy to sleep in this morning on the very comfortable bed, with luxurious high thread count sheets, pillow top mattress and plush pillows. The seas were like glass providing us with a smooth ride. We had a late breakfast on the aft Tapas Terrace and enjoyed our view of the Turkish coastline as we passed within a few hundred feet of the Turkish War Memorial.
From there, we spent the day cruising along the Dardanelles and past Kusadasi before heading slightly west, to sail past Samos and some of the other Greek islands. It was still a bit chilly, so wesat in the forward section of Horizons lounge enjoying the beautiful views.
Oceania@Sea offers a variety of computer classes in Microsoft programs, digital photo downloading and editing with Adobe Elements, blogging, internet and e-mail. There is a nominal charge for each of the software programs of $20.00 per class, and the other classes are complimentary. Most of the classes are held in their state of the art computer lab housing 18 computer stations. Their first complimentary class “How To Take Better Digital Pictures”, was held in the Nautica Lounge and had a good turnout. The quality of
the instruction was quite good and they shared some helpful hints.
I enjoyed some time in the well equipped fitness center in an attempt to remain as a passenger, and not become cargo due to the many calories I am bound to consume aboard ship over the next 25 days. I especially liked that I could plug in my headset and watch one of the latest movies while walking on the treadmill. It definitely makes the time go by.
We met some of the “cruise critic” folks in Horizons Lounge and “watched” the wonderful tea service offered daily at 4:00 pm in Horizons Lounge, accompanied by a string quartet from the Ukraine. I only watched today, because I am saving up my appetite for dinner at Toscana specialty restaurant tonight.
We attended the daily team trivia, hosted by the cruise director, in Martini’s Lounge. We met George and Ann from Princeville, Kauai, and I enjoyed a delicious Mojito martini. The level of questions were some of the most difficult I’ve heard, and the players who attended were professional trivia buffs.
The captain, Jurica Brajcic from Dubrovnik, Croatia, hosted a cocktail reception and we loved the country
club casual dress code. Being on a trip this long, we didn’t want to have to worry about bringing any formal attire. The other pleasure we noticed, was the absence of annoying ship’s photographers. After cruising as much as we have, this is a refreshing change.
From there, we went to Toscana’s on Deck 10 aft. This is one of Oceania’s special dining restaurants, and there is never a cover charge. You are limited to 1 advance reservation in each dining room per stateroom and 2 advance reservations in each dining room per suite. After that, you can make reservations for the same day, each morning, based on availability.
We started with a basket of assorted breads arranged in a design like a peacock and had a choice of olive oils with different spices and balsamic vinegar for dipping. The sommelier recommended a bottle of dry, crisp, Italian white wine called La Solvite from Northern Italy and it was quite tasty and reasonably priced at about $30.00 USD per bottle.
Every item on the menu sounded delicious, but I went with the giant prawns wrapped in prosciutto, the fresh gnocchi appetizer with pesto cream sauce, fresh baby
Prawns Wrapped in Prosciutto
Toscana Restaurant - YUMMY !! greens with goat cheese salad and osso bucco on a bed of pilaf risotto. I finished off with a creamy cup of decaf cappuccino and a ciccolato lasagna which was layers of ricotta cheese filling, light cake and a layer of thick, dark chocolate on the top. Everything was scrumptious and the service was excellent. The same type of dinner in a Manhattan restaurant would have easily cost over $100.00 USD per person. It was nice not to have to pay a bill at the end of dinner.
The show tonight was a very talented singer named Holly Lipton who starred on Broadway as Mary Magdalene in the original version of Jesus Christ Superstar. She put on a fantastic performance and was one of the best cruise ship cabaret singers I’ve heard.
Tonight the weather warmed up considerably and I enjoyed star gazing from the comfort of our private verandah. I left the door open a crack, and drifted off to sleep with the sounds of the ocean.
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